Update #11: Mac & Linux versions are GO! New video update!

Last night, we reached our FIRST stretch goal, Apples & Penguins, which means that there will be Mac and Linux versions of Dreamfall Chapters! Hurray!

Pledgers will be able to choose between the PC, Mac and Linux versions for their digital downloads, DVD copies and USB keys, as soon as the Kickstarter campaign wraps up.

As promised yesterday, today we provide more details about our next stretch goal, The Loremaster:

Secrets of The Loremaster

The world of Arcadia exists in parallel and perfect balance with ours. It is a world of magic and chaos, a world that acts as a counterweight to the world of science and order. The Balance between the twin worlds is watched over by the Guardian, who channels the energies of order and chaos between Arcadia and Stark, our world.

One of the grandest cities of Arcadia is Marcuria, capital of Ayrede, a nation in the Northlands. For centuries one of the grandest sights of Marcuria was their Great Library, home to tens of thousands of ancient tomes of lore, magic and history, parchments and documents and stone tablets dating back thousands upon thousands of years, back to the time before the Great Divide between Arcadia and Stark.

Ten years ago, Marcuria was attacked by the barbarian Tyren armies, and they burned down and destroyed much of the city -- including the library. Many great works were lost, but the Sentinel priests were able to hide away their most precious books. The Tyren invasion, thankfully, did not last long. From across the western ocean came the Azadi. They drove away and exterminated the Tyren, liberating Marcuria.

Or so its people believed.

Soon, however, the Azadi began to impose their own rule on Marcuria and the Northlands. Their strange faith did not leave room for magic, or magic texts, and so they gathered all the books they could find and burned them in public, before asking the Sentinel priests to renounce their beliefs in favor of the Azadi Goddess.

Some tomes and documents were still hidden, however, and some were brought safely out of the city, where they remain.

In Dreamfall Chapters, you will be able to recover these lost books and bring them to the Grand Library which is even now being rebuilt, in secret, by the growing resistance to the Azadi rule. Once returned to the library, these books and documents can be studied and read, and players can learn more about the lore, peoples, geography and history of Arcadia, about the Balance, the Divide, and about the past and future of the twin worlds.

Many of these texts are hidden and may be difficult to find. Players will need to explore and be observant and vigilant to discover them all.

And finally, a new video update!

In which Dag, Martin and Ragnar speak about how we will make Dreamfall Chapters accessible to those who haven't played The Longest Journey or Dreamfall, along with those who may have forgotten what happened in the previous games.

For those of you without six minutes to spare, the highlights of the video (spoiler alert!) are:

The announcement of an interactive comic-book that will retell and recap the story of both The Longest Journey and Dreamfall. This really cool interactive comic will be a stretch goal, and we'll announce more details very soon!

And the guys reveal that they will be hosting a LIVE play-through of Dreamfall: The Longest Journey this coming Friday. They will play the game from beginning to end (unless they pass out from exhaustion) and offer commentary, reply to questions and interact with the audience. The time and details will be announced in the next couple of days!

Comments

I played the games in the wrong order as well, but I don't see a problem with that. I didn't know about TLJ before Dreamfall, I'm glad I even heard of it. Of course I re-played both games. I re-play the games at least once a year. They both had a huge impact on me, and I honestly miss them if I go too long without playing them xD Thanks guys for finally making a sequel! <3

I cannot say how thrilled I am to hear that they are finally making a sequel! and then finding out they are actually playing through the older games magical I'm super excited and you can bet your ass I'll be standing right there in the front of the stream watching. Also applying for the company to work QA when they get anywhere near the point of needing it

@Marta: Note that we never see April's body. Also, that Zoe seemed to be dead (more or less) and we know that Zoe will be back.These are classic cliff-hanger endings so I will not be surprised if April turns up again as well. We can more or less count on DFC resolving that to some extent.

Everything I have read indicates that DFC is not the end of the saga. At least one more game should follow assuming RTG does well. Perhaps more. But, whatever TLJH is, I don't believe it is intended to be the final chapter.

Assuming April turns up alive after all, and I think that is what is going to happen for several reasons, I see the ending as less of a problem. Certainly the ending of TLJ was not a "they lived happily ever after" kind of ending". Also, consider this: Have you never re-read a really good book or set of books and enjoyed it/them even though, at a certain point in the story you know that some really bad things are about to happen to one or more of the characters? I certainly have.

Pure unfounded speculation but what if April was involved in/caused the collapse. Might account for her mental state in Dreamfall. Although I don't read April's state quite the same way as some people do.

Lastly, I am confident in one respect. I cannot see Ragnar telling a bad/weak story. I think that, if the only possible story was bad/weak/mundane he would not tell it at all.

I focus on story here because I personally believe that story is what adventure games are all about. But that is another story. :-)

@William: I agree with that, about the story, but let's pretend for a moment that TLJ:H will be entirely focused on those ten years... Where will the story bring us to? To April's first appearence in Dreamfall? To April falling into the water? So, basically, to reach which goal should I play a game like this? I'm sure that a lot of great adventures could be happened to her, I'm not questioning the story's potential to provide additional info about April's life and the whole saga: I'm questioning its "strength" to give enough motivation to finish the game. As I said before, knowing what happens next (nothing good for our April) it spoils my enthusiasm. That's the reason why I hope to see a game not entirely focused on that part of her life. Basically I would like to know more about April after her (apparent?) death and surely Chapters can partially tell us more about this topic, but a new game is needed to go further since Chapters is mostly about Zoe. I'd be slightly disappointed if the only purpose of TLJ:H is to tell us what happened to April in those ten years... and nothing more. Unless April's story definitely stopped on that damn pier in the swamps :P

I have to join: please, don't make us choose between OS versions! I love my Mac and I'd like to play Dreamfall Chapters on it but I don't want to be tied to the platform if I ever choose to change the OS. Besides, Windows versions of games are often more performant so I.d like to have an option to play on Windows, too. So many people ask for this, please, respect it!

@Marta:: Actually, I think that April was bleeding the Azadi white. The fact that they sent one of their very best all the way from their own nation to kill her among other reasons. Also, if Zoe caused the collapse, she must have done it as a small child;. I believe there is more going on in that period than meets the eye and that it might be a better story than you think.

@William Walsh: You may be right, but by playing Dreamfall we learned that April cut all connections to her past and fought the Azadi almost every day of her new life. Without significant success, as far as we know... I think it would be good to know more about those years, BUT personally I need more motivation to play a game... I think that playing a game while knowing that rebels didn't succeed in their fight against the Azadi and April (apparently) died it spoils almost everything. It would ruin my motivation :P
I'd like to start the game with a prologue focused on those years, yet I'd prefer to go on with April's story.
I guess we'll find out more about the Collapse (and what/who caused it) in Dreamfall: Chapters, 'cause I think it's something more tied to Zoe's story. But even if I'm wrong on this point, I'm pretty sure we'll find the answers about the Collapse in Chapters.

@LIVE play-through of Dreamfall ->Please record it, and make it available (worst case scenario, on a special backer section once the Kickstarter campaign finishes). Would absolutely love a developer commentary walk-though.

@David: As I see it, TLJ is already complete in all respects; there is no reason to add to the story at this point. But you could do a remake that simply enhanced the graphics using modern digital processing techniques, fixed some of the bugs, etc. Possibly even added Mac compatibility.

However, any halfway competent shop could be contracted to do all of those things; no creativity would be required. FUNCOM could do this if they thought there was enough money in it but I don't think they would be interested.

@Giorgos: I honestly don't know but I would like to know. Also, I didn't say that would necessarily be the whole story. Remember also, that other good stories have had their bleak periods and come out all right in the end.Certainly, Dreamfall Chapters is not the end of the tale either. There is more to be told.

Another thing that makes me question is that the amount of money allocated to the last stretch goal seems insufficient for another complete game, even in 2D, unless some of the other stretch goals would somehow contribute to it.

Nor would I expect Ragnar to tell a poor story (although there have been some great stores that are tragedies).

In summary, I am not ruling anything out at this point and I am curious about those 10 years.

For the record, Red Thread Games couldn't do a TLJ remake if they wanted to, because they don't own the rights. They might license from Funcom, but that would be a fairly complicated process in and of itself, and they have other things to do.

@William: but can these things make a whole game, with well defined and meaningful beginning, middle and end? Ragnar could think of something, of course, but April's downward spiral towards depression and a deathwish isn't the best material for a computer game. It would be better to write a couple of short stories about that period, or another interactive comic, or use flashbacks (and narration) to tell parts of what happened in either Dreamfall: Chapters or TLJH. Not a full game focused ONLY on that period.

@Marta: I am not sure you are correct. A lot of unexplained things happened in that period and we don't really know why. Personally, I would like to see a game that covered that period to some degree. For example, what actually caused the collapse? The guardian? Maybe, but that doesn't really fit his job description. Did April have something to do with it? Do we know that she went directly to Arcadia?
I have no answers; I am just wondering.

TLJ is perfect as it is. No need to remake it. I would love to see a continuation to April's story from the point it stopped, which means: if TLJ:H turns out to be a new game... DO NOT focus entirely on those ten "lost" years in her life, please! It would be pointless, really, since we all know how the story goes on. It's not very exciting playing a game already knowing what happens to April, to the rebels... At least, this is my opinion.

@Max: There is merit in what you say. In this specific case, I saw something on the web that seemed to indicate that, before the project started, RTG was a little apprehensive about even making $850,000. As it turned out though, there was no problem at all. I would guess they set it up this way because of that. In reality, the game they would like to make probably should have had a much higher funding and fewer stretch goals.Gut-wrenching decision though; I think I can sympathize. Then too, I don't believe they have ever done a kickstarter campaign before which couldn't help.

I believe RTG would have made a pretty good game if $850,000 was all they got. Ragnar has a good reputation. I don't believe it would have been their best though.

@William: I won't try and argue that media support isn't key for a successful Kickstarter, nor that Mac and Linux aren't great additions. However, there has been rumbling and grumbling about Kickstarter campaigns that overuse stretch goals, especially when stretch goals encompass things that should be part of the core goal. It can be seen as circumventing Kickstarter's mandate to not pay out to campaigns that don't reach their goal as well as just a cheap marketing stunt, jeopardizing the trust that a good campaign needs to build with its backers.

Keep in mind I'm talking about general trends here. You've already got a half-dozen other bullet points on why Mac and Linux was a good stretch goal, so what I'm saying here doesn't apply to you guys in this case (nor for any of the other stretch goals you have listed). My point is that a good stretch goal should stand on its own - even if you got zero media attention it should still be something worth backing.

@Max: As to stretch goals, it depends on how you look at each goal. By offering Mac and Linux support they broaden their customer base. That also broadens the range of potential backers and, perhaps, gets them mention in media specific to the Mac and Linux communities. More media attention attracts more backers and so on. More money not only makes a better game but also helps insure that RTG will be creating more games in the future and, for my money, Ragnar creates exceptionally good games.

@Max: No problem. My experience is with large software projects but Chapters is a large software project and it is a mass-market product at that. Everything considered, I thought $50,000 was surprisingly cheap for adding two additional platforms.

@Steven and @William: I think I came off a bit too critical in my comment. I don't mean to suggest that the amount of money requested is unreasonable, I was just hoping for a bit more insight into the price-breakdown/process. I've definitely done the push-button-release, but the budget for that entire game was five weeks of my time.

I will say, though, that I don't think stretch goals for the sake of stretch goals/enticing press is a good argument. Ideally your stretch goals should be able to stand on their own merits.

@Red Thread Games: Would it be possible to make a few videos discussing how you work, your creative process etc? Also, I think it would be really neat with a video of the art director discussing some of his concept work for the game (and/or previous games) and his (/your) approach to the redesign of Zoe.

I'm sure you have a hell of a lot to do right now, but perhaps towards the end Kickstarter, or even after?

@Giorgos Chrysikopoulos: well said, brother. By now, there is really enough information about what DF: Chapters is (conclusion of Dreamfall story) and what it isn't (direct sequel to TLJ).
People should really stop complaining and start donating more :) Donations came basically to a "stand still" today. At this pace 2M goal is already out of reach.
So if you want some old-school 2D TLJ love -> donate, donate and DONATE some more.

As with many other commenters, I'm concerned about the prospect of having to *choose* a single platform on which to play Chapters; I'd much prefer a Steamplay-like approach where I'm licensed to play on any platform at any time.

@Panagioti: they just mentioned in this very update that they plan to make an "interactive comic" summarizing the events of the previous games (both The Longest Journey and Dreamfall), so this is your suggested "cinematic".
Also, an actual remake of the TLJ is pretty much impossible, since not only they don't have the rights for that game (Funcom does, not Red Thread Games, so it's up to Funcom to decide to make a remake) but also Ragnar and co. said -and I agree with their opinion- that they prefer to make NEW stories (either in the longest journey universe or in completely new settings) than retelling the old ones.
Your "complaint" about Dreamfall: Chapters being more close to Dreamfall than The Longest Journey is correct (and I know, I'm an April fan myself), because Dreamfall:Chapters is the direct continuation of Dreamfall (and the conclusion of Zoe's story) and together they form (in Ragnar's words) "The Dreamer's Cycle", which is like an interlude inside The Lo0ngest Journey Saga. This is Zoe's story (thus she is the protagonist), but Ragnar has confirmed that the true protagonist of the whole TLJ Saga is April, and we haven't yet seen the end of HER story (nor the War of the Balance, or the prophecized Reunification of the Twin Worlds).
So, to address both your desire for a TLJ remake and your love of April, just take a look at the stretch goals chart, there is one at the bottom called "The Longest Journey Home", with April's picture and all. From the clues there (and also some things Ragnar said in a reddit Q&A) it is very possible that The Longest Journey home is actually another, fourth game in the Longest Journey Saga, with April as the protagonist (and also 2-D, like The Longest Journey, and not 3-D like Dreamfall) that will conclude the story. This is MUCH better than a simple remake and we must all work hard to achieve it!!

If you do get to make this library, could you please make sure that the books will be easier to read? I enjoyed being able to read stories in the library of Marcuria, but I had problems deciphering all the words because the font was a bit tricky, and I could not zoom in or any such thing. There are still many words in those stories I'm just not able to read. My eyesight isn't the best, so that's probably got a lot to do with it; but I hope you can make it a bit easier for people like me to enjoy the stories this time around if you get to create it!

Looking forward to the stream. I'll definitely set some time aside to check in on it.

In case others are not able to join, and cannot (or prefer not to) play the games themselves, here are some links to a very good Let's Play of both games. The format is video with subtitle commentary, and the Let's Player is quite good at keeping the commentary sparse and let the games atmosphere remain intact.

"Pledgers will be able to choose between the PC, Mac and Linux versions for their digital downloads"

Well this is inconvenient. I'm not switching to Linux until I build a new PC sometime next year, but I'm not yet sure when exactly. AFAIK Steam has a service called Steam Play which allows you to play the game on every platform it's available on. Wouldn't Chapters use it by default once it's available on Steam? If so, wouldn't it be more logical to offer all three versions to other backers too?

Hmmmm... Why I feel that the original TLJ is forgotten? Personally I didn't really like Zoe but I loved April! I wish she was the main protagonist of this game and devs to try show and remind people how was the original game like, not the Dreamfall. And another reason I'm saying this, apart for my personal preferences, is that Dreamfall is pretty playable today for almost everyone.
What would be the perfect stretch goal for me? A remake of the original TLJ! What would be close to that? A short cinematic that covers almost everything from that game.

And since my comment sounds pretty negative I must say I'm a huge fan and supporter and I love the job you've done so far. I just want to push you towards my personal desires now!
And I feel obligated to thank you every single time I contact you, for you have resurrected a dream that I thought it was dead and gone. THANK YOU!

I agree with Konstantin and makomk - most multi-platform releases are able to include every version. Not doing so here and asking backers to choose one only will inconvenience those who migrate (say from Windows to Linux) later on.
Aside from that, thanks for the update and thanks also for using mp4 for the videos rather than requiring (as so many others do) people to install the insecure Flash plugin (running an Adobe-free system here).

Digital comic, look like awesome, I can't wait to rediscover April's story in a new media.
I would ask also a little thing if possible : please please please make a true and big effort to add subtitles to all your sound medias, there are deaf people around that understand nothing and are very sad because of that.

"Pledgers will be able to choose between the PC, Mac and Linux"
Why not made available all platforms for pledgers?
I know its separate products (with single content, that values), but many devs made them available as one on Steam.

Thanks for the interesting updates. The Loremaster stretch goals looks like it will make for a very good reason to fully explore. This is a really great idea that I haven't seen in an adventure game before. Heck after playing TSW, I'm very intrigued to see the type of puzzles RTG will put into Dreamfall Chapters.

I also think that you should give to the pledgers the 3 versions (Mac, Windows and Linux). Not that I really care (I only need the Linux one), but many people could choose to wait until it appears on Steam or similar places, which offers you all avaible versions.

@Johannes 'Waldgeist' Rebhan: Thanks for the hint with anti-aliasing (never did that before, have no Idea what it does on a GeForce 460), but it doesn't help in the enclave; as soon as you want to read the books the characters become greyish and nearly unreadable. But the rest seems to be better.

Red Thread Games
"We will use TwitchTV, and the event will be recorded for posterity (and possibly for blackmailing the participants, who will without question be so exhausted by the end of it that there's no telling what they might say or do)."